Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Current attitudes recognize the beauty and artistry in these objects and make the initial categories of classification obsolete. The objects are now all grouped together as Human Form in Art. They display enormous diversity in materials, techniques, function, beliefs, and notions of beauty. While people of a century or more ago would have viewed such figures and forms in a divisive way, they may now be seen to highlight the shared humanity of the cultures represented.
Religion remains one of the most common reasons for the creation of figurative art. Many cultures model the appearance of their deities or spiritual beings on the human form, making it easier for people to identify with divine individuals. Taoist depictions of the Eight Immortals exemplify this idea. Based on actual people said to have gained immortality through their great deeds, models of the eight immortals remind Taoists of certain spiritual virtues.
Some artistic customs avoid illustrations of human figures. For example, in Islamic art representations of living things are not allowed and the human form is very rarely used. In cultures where figurative art is permissible, it is often used to aid the telling of religious stories, to reinforce religious ideals, or even to critique religion. An example of this is an ivory panel depicting a man, possibly a monk, and a nun kissing. The object was intended to poke fun at the establishment.
Carved ivory panel, Europe; 1884.67.129
The objects featured in this Introductory guide can be found in the following location: The Court (Ground Floor) Case 147A Human Form in Art
Compiled by: Oliver Douglas, DCF Court Project, 2002-03.
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Copyright 2010